Ambush in the city…

The shock waves continue to reverberate in Cotabato City following the ambush in broad daylight of Vice Mayor and former three-term Mayor, Datu Muslimin Sema. The ambush happened near his residence about 11 in the morning, Tuesday, January 11, 2012.  He allegedly received a phone call to return home after presiding at the regular Tuesday session of the Sanggunian. The Vice Mayor was wounded and the security escorts killed one of the alleged assailants during the brief firefight.Vice Mayor Sema is a prominent figure not only in city politics but also in the Moro National Liberation Front where he sits as the Chair in the Sema faction of the MNLF. The city is abuzz with all kinds of speculations about the ambush.  Is it coming from the perceived disagreements in local politics? Is it a result of the politics in the leadership of the MNLF? Is it a result of some unfinished business owing to past yet unresolved ‘rido’ (‘vendetta’)? Or are there other issues involved in the said daring ambush? Prior to the ambush, the city was in a state of alert of sorts.  There were jitters among the city dwellers, especially the private sector (business), because of a rumored possible terrorist attack.  Extra checkpoints had been put up and the PNP conducted spot checkpoints, especially motorcycles. The PNP and the Marines that were in charge of securing the City and the local officials were all caught with great surprise. The question that many Cotabatenos now pose is the capability of the various security sectors and investigative bodies to shed light on the ambush?  Is it a case of adding one more ‘unresolved’ case to the list of killed and kidnapped that is now becoming longer by the day? There have been killings, kidnappings and other crimes against persons, including narcotics in the city for years.  None of these crimes have been solved.  People have learned to bury their dead; lick heir wounds; and simply move forward with no clue or justice.   If a very powerful man (a three-term Mayor, now sitting Vice Mayor and Chairman of the MNLF) can be ambushed in broad daylight, how about the ordinary Abdul and Juan dela Cruz who have no means at all to protect themselves against these lawless elements?   What these many unresolved kidnapping, murder and now ambush do tell us is a simple fact that the combined Marine and PNP presence seems to be no ‘match’ to lawless or terrorist acts. Cotabato City is fast becoming a famous place for natural disaster (flooding), kidnapping and bombing. As if we do not have enough woes, ambush has now been added to that menu of notoriety that is Cotabato. In truth, Cotabato City is not really that bad.  It remains as one of the rare cities in the world where diverse peoples of different cultures, faiths and ethnicities easily blend notwithstanding the vagaries of peace and security conditions. Its attraction is, precisely, its ‘smallness’. It is NOT a big city where people are simple statistics.   In Cotabato, people in local government, private sector, academe and civil society still ‘know’ each other and they all breathe a familiar and ‘friendly’ air. Moreover, it continues to be a home to many peoples of different faiths and it is also a place of refuge to many (citizens and rebels, alike) during times of war. No doubt, the issue of security and peace is paramount.  Are the citizens still secure and safe in the city?  Hopefully, what the City Mayor Jojo Guiani claims is true that the ‘ambush of the Vice Mayor is an isolated case’.   But when everything is said and done, what truly matters is for the citizens to know the real story behind this ambuscade and other heinous crimes (kidnapping, killing, narco-politics, simply to name a few) in the city.  Here lies the real challenge for the PNP’s CIDG! The ambush should serve as a wake up call. And it should NOT be business as usual in the city!